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Abstract
The problem of cell phones in public schools generates much criticism. The goal of this paper is to decide whether cell phones should be allowed in Massachusetts high schools. A detailed literature review is performed. The following themes are included: the patterns of cell phone use in public schools; the benefits and drawbacks of using cell phones in class; the Massachusetts cell phone policy; and possible methods to solve the problem.
Use of Cell Phones in Public Schools and Should Cell Phones Be Allowed in Public Schools
The growing pace of technological advancement impacts all spheres of public and private life. The system of public education is not an exception to this rule. Thousands of schoolchildren have cell phones and use them on a daily basis. At the same time, teachers and school administrators devise new strategies to prohibit the use of cell phones in class.
Present-day teachers claim that the use of cell phones in the classroom distracts students from learning (Humble-Thaden, 2011). This is why, in most U.S. public schools, including those in Massachusetts, the use of cell phones is strictly prohibited.
Meanwhile, many other schools and education professionals propose new strategies to turn cell phones into a driver of productive learning. Some teachers even suggest that cell phones could potentially replace computers and reduce inequality in computer access and use across various student groups (Watters, 2012). Still, the problem of cell phone use in public schools continues to persist.
While states enact policies to prohibit the use of cell phones by students, the latter express their indignation with the restrictions placed on their communication freedoms in the classroom. The goal of this paper is to understand the scope of the problem and its impacts on the public school system.
In this paper, the pros and cons of using cell phones in public schools are analyzed. The results of this analysis suggest that the state authorities should allow using cell phones in Massachusetts high schools, since they bring considerable instructional benefits and teach high school students of responsible technology use.
Literature Review
Case Example
The case of James Parker points to the strong and weak sides of cell phone bans in public schools. According to Shah (2013), this case is a result of a simple misunderstanding. However, it has profound implications for all cell phone policies in the U.S. system of education. Two years ago, John was a freshman and studied at O’Bannon High School in Greenville, Mississippi (Shah, 2013). According to the school rules, students were prohibited from using their cell phones on its territory. During one of the breaks, the teacher saw James listening to his friend’s iPod and thought he was using a cell phone (Shah, 2013).
The next day James was asked to visit the assistant principal and had to produce the phone (Shah, 2013). James’s parents said he had never owned one. The student who had loaned his iPod to James during the break also claimed that they had not used cell phones (Shah, 2013).
Still, James had to leave the high school and could not return, until he was able to bring his cell phone with him. He did not have one, and his absence from the school lasted almost two months. Eventually, he had to move to a different school, because the problem was never solved.
The case uncovers the hidden facets of cell phone bans enacted in public schools all over the United States. According to National School Safety and Security Services (2012), the use of cell phones can become a serious detraction from safety, especially at times of crises.
Simultaneously, many cell phones policies enacted by public schools are confusing and complex. The current state of literature provides rich arguments to inform future public practices. This information can help decide whether at all public schools should prohibit the use of cell phones by students.
Cell Phones in Public Schools: Statistics and Trends
Researchers and journalists in the field of education provide overwhelming statistics of cell phone ownership and use by public school students. Overall, the trends in cell phone usage reflect the common tendencies in technology use in other fields and industry sectors.
Today, being a cell phone owner is more of a necessity than a luxury. Aoki and Downes (2003) write that wireless communication technologies have become commonplace. In 2003, the number of cell phone subscribers increased by 50% compared with 2002 (Aoki & Downes, 2003). The same year, 34% of 16-22-year-olds and 28% of 10-19-year-olds were claimed to have a cell phone (Aoki & Downes, 2003).
Obringer and Coffey (2007) provide a different set of statistical data: in 2004, 58 percent of 6-12 graders had a cell phone, and 68 percent of students brought their cell phones to school on a daily basis. Maddox (2012) refers to this statistical information and provides an update: in 2009, 98% of high school students reported having a cell phone.
“Notably, 83% of middle-school students, 46% of students in grades 3 through 5, and 32% of students in Kindergarten through grade 2 also reported having access to cell phones in 2009” (Maddox, 2012, p.262). Not surprisingly, Humble-Thaden (2011) calls today’s students “Digital Natives”, because they cannot imagine themselves without technologies and develop remarkable information processing capabilities.
Kennedy (2013) cites the results of the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project survey. According to Kennedy (2013), 73 percent of teachers confess that their students use cell phones as a tool of progressive education and learning.
In other words, students use their cell phones as a learning device, as they are working on their assignments. 44 percent of teachers say that their students use cell phones as a source of learning information, while 38 percent claim that their students use cell phones to record videos and make photographs for their home assignments (Kennedy, 2013). It seems that cell phones are particularly useful in the learning process, but they keep generating numerous educational concerns.
Statistically, 71 percent of students use their cell phones to send text messages in class (Earl, 2012). In schools where students can have cell phones with them but cannot use them during lessons, 65 percent of students receive or send text messages (Earl, 2012). Even in the presence of total bans on cell phones, 58% of students keep using them in class (Earl, 2012). Public schools cannot catch up with the technologies that have become pervasive, and even total ban policies do not work.
Educators’ Perceptions of Cell Phone Use in High Schools
The use of cell phones in public schools is a two-edged sword. On the one hand, educators and school administrators express the growing concern over the use of cell phones in schools. School administrators cite the following reasons why cell phones should not be used in the classroom: (1) they distract students from the learning process; (2) they favor and facilitate cheating during quizzes and exams; (3) they encourage cyber bullying among students; (4) students may use their cell phones to call in bomb threats; (5) cell phones have a calculator, which can be used during math tests; (6) they can even make it difficult for other students and teachers to use phone lines during emergencies (Obringer & Coffey, 2007).
21 percent of students who have cell phones and bring them to school have photo and video options, which can be used to picture quizzes and exams and then disseminate this information among classmates (Obringer & Coffey, 2007). Earl (2012) supports these claims and states that most educators perceive cell phones as a serious distraction from learning.
On the other hand, educators do not set a positive example of appropriate cell phone use in public schools. Getting back to Obringer and Coffey (2007), teachers were found to use their cell phones at school to solve non-school related problems, and while students were penalized for using their cell phones in the classroom, no disciplinary actions were applied to teachers (Obringer & Coffey, 2007).
Teachers keep using their cell phones at school and apply to various disciplinary actions, when they see that their students use cell phones in class. These actions can range from a simple note to confiscation (Obringer & Coffey, 2007). As a result, it seems that high schools promote the climate of unfairness in everything that comes to cell phone use. Still, cell phones do pose a number of problems, which public schools constantly try to eliminate.
Cell Phones in Public Schools: A Major Problem?
Cell phones by themselves are not problematic; it is the way they are used that pose a threat to the stability of the learning environment in Massachusetts high schools. Thousands of students use cell phones to solve their school- and non-school-related problems. Today, many schools allow their students to use their cell phones for safety considerations (Earl, 2012). At the same time, educators are becoming more concerned about the growing number of cell phones in the classroom.
One of the main reasons why cell phones should be banned in Massachusetts high schools is because they distract students from the learning process. Barack (2013) cites the results of a recent survey that covered 591 students from several high schools. 95 percent of the participating students were found to have used their cell phones regularly during classroom lessons (Barack, 2013).
They sent emails and text messages, while being in the classroom. 94 percent of students confessed that they had used their cell phones to download and upload their content to various social media sites, including Facebook (Barack, 2013). These results create a sobering reality in the public school system, where cell phones have a huge potential to disrupt the learning process.
Disruptions in the learning environment. National School Safety and Security Services (2012) lists several essential reasons why cell phones should not be used in class. First, and in line with Earl (2012), cell phones exemplify the source of real disruptions in the school environment (National School Safety and Security Services, 2012).
Such disruptions may take many forms, from the simple ringing of a cell phone in the classroom to the text messages that are used by students to cheat during tests and exams. As mentioned earlier, modern cell phones are extremely sophisticated and can be used by students for a variety of purposes, such as taking pictures of girls and boys who are changing their clothes in gym locker areas (National School Safety and Security Services, 2012).
Disruptions in emergency response. Second, those who claim that cell phones should be used in public schools to increase safety also forget that it is cell phones that can make the school’s response during emergencies less effective.
It has become quite popular among students to call in bomb threats, and when such calls are made from a cell phone, tracing the threat is almost impossible (National School Safety and Security Services, 2012). Moreover, in the moments of crises, schools need to keep their telephone lines free to make emergency calls.
However, when hundreds of students use their cell phones in emergency situations, the risks of overloading the cell phone network become very real. A child who calls his (her) parents to inform about emergencies is likely to generate panic and unreasonable decisions, while school authorities may want everyone to stay calm and act wisely (National School Safety and Security Services, 2012). Apparently, having a cell phone in public school is not the best way to deal with emergencies.
Bullying and rumors. National School Safety and Security Services (2012) also suggests that the use of cell phones in high schools greatly contributes to fear, rumors, and even bullying. These assumptions are also supported by Mayers and Desiderio (2013). Mayers and Desiderio (2013) speak about sexting – “the practice of sending or posting sexually suggestive text messages and images, including nude or semi-nude photographs, via cellular phones or over the Internet” (p.1).
Sexting is a relatively new phenomenon, but it poses a serious threat to the stability and security in public schools. In a high school in Texas, a fifteen-year-old girl sent her nude picture to her eighteen-year-old senior boyfriend; in a few minutes, the picture was circulating throughout the school (Mayers & Desiderio, 2013).
Students were giggling; classroom disruptions were frequent and unpreventable; and teachers could not provide any relevant guidance to resolve the cell phone dilemma (Mayers & Desiderio, 2013). At present, public schools have no adequate policies to address and prevent sexting (Mayers & Desiderio, 2013). As a result, placing a ban on the use of cell phones in public schools sounds like the most reasonable solution to the sexting problem.
More schools develop policies to govern the use of cell phones in the classroom. In Massachusetts, most high schools have totally banned the use of cell phones in class. Disciplinary actions included in such policies vary from immediate confiscation and retention for a period of time to a short-term suspension of the student (Maddox, 2012). In some cases, schools can retain the confiscated cell phone for up to 30 days (Maddox, 2012).
Very often, the confiscated cell phone is returned to parents, but only after the retention period is over (Maddox, 2012). Many parents and students tried to dispute the cell phone policies adopted by public schools. The past years witnessed a number of lawsuits filed by parents in the pursuit of their due process rights. In almost all those cases, courts found public school cell phone policies to be constitutional (Maddox, 2012).
Massachusetts Public School Cell Phone Policy
The Massachusetts school cell phone policy is one of the most notable examples of a cell phone ban. In Chicopee High School, Chicopee Academy, and Comprehensive High School, a policy was enacted to ban cell phones entirely and for everyone, without exceptions (DeForge, 2012). Massachusetts schools justify their policy step by the need to avoid classroom disruptions and cheating during tests and exams (DeForge, 2012).
According to Humble-Thaden (2011), most parents support the cell phone policies enforced by schools. However, many students confess that they keep carrying their phones with them and even use them during classroom lessons (DeForge, 2012). Members of the student council are confident that the ban on cell phones is more disruptive to the school environment than the policy that would allow students to use their phones freely (DeForge, 2012).
The main argument against the existing policy is that students will continue using their phones at school, but they will have to hide them under the desk or behind their books (DeForge, 2012). These actions will certainly distract them from the classroom processes. What students propose is to allow using their cell phones during breaks and lunchtime. At Southeastern, students are allowed to use their cell phones during passing times and in common areas (Wheeler, 2012).
Teachers provide education to teach their students appropriate use of cell phones and similar handheld devices (Wheeler, 2012). It is wise to let teachers decide whether or not cell phones can be used during their high school classes (Wheeler, 2012). Cell phones do not pose any problem, when they are used appropriately and according to the high school policy.
Why Cell Phones Are Needed in Massachusetts High Schools
Despite the growing concern over the use of cell phones in public schools, they have a number of positive sides. Modern researchers agree that cell phones could become a convenient element of the instructional and learning processes in public schools. Across the nation, teachers integrate cell phones into students’ learning experiences (National School Safety and Security Services, 2012). The impact of technologies on students is huge, and public school educators need to ensure that this impact is positive and benefits the learning process.
Students have become technology-savvy. 95 percent of school teachers say that their students carry out their research practices online (Kennedy, 2013). 79 percent of high school students use their cell phones to access online assignments, while 39 percent of students actively participate in online discussions (Kennedy, 2013). For many teachers, cell phones have already become part of their curriculum strategies and, when used reasonably and appropriately, cell phones can be of major advantage to students.
Igoe, Parisi and Carter (2013) speak about smartphone applications that deliver new knowledge to students. These applications enable students to develop the skills and knowledge required within the limits of the national middle-school curriculum (Igoe et al., 2013). Watters (2012) goes even further and suggests that cell phones have the potential to reduce technology inequities in schools and across households.
The argument is quite simple: today, only 48 percent of low-income families own a computer, compared to almost 91 percent of affluent families (Watters, 2012). At the same time, even those students who do not have a home computer are likely to have a cell phone (Watters, 2012). It is through cell phones that teachers in high schools can guarantee fair and equitable access to learning materials for each student (Watters, 2012).
These assumptions shape the basis for the development of the so-called “Bring Your Own Device – BYOD” policies. These policies have recently become an extremely popular object of professional discussions. High school teachers do not know whether all students have equal access to hardware and software at home (Stephens & Fanning, 2013). BYOD policies can help students reduce the social and information processing gaps and improve their learning results.
At times, cell phones can be used to assist students with learning disabilities in their striving to improve academic results. Bedesem (2012) proposed using cell phones as an instructional and educational technology to help students with learning disabilities self-monitor their performance in the classroom.
Bedesem (2012) relies on the previous research that confirms the value of self-monitoring to address inattentiveness, hyperactivity, lack of focus, and poor social skills. In this context, the cell phone plays the roles of both a cueing device and a recording device (Bedesem, 2012). The student can use headphones to hear the cues delivered through the cell phone, while also recording his (her) reactions and observations during the learning process.
Solving the Problem of Cell Phones in Massachusetts High Schools
Given the complexity of the problem, researchers provide various suggestions to solve it. These solutions can be divided into two broad categories: enforcing effective policies and teaching students of the principles of responsible use. National School Safety and Security Services (2012) recommends developing and implementing comprehensive cell phone policies that will also reflect the latest demands for technology use.
If leaders and administrators choose to ban cell phones in their schools, this decision should be accepted and followed by everyone. Charles (2012) notes that many teachers exercise increased leniency, whenever they see that students use their cell phones during lunchtime. At the same time, many teachers find it appropriate to use personal cell phones despite the total ban implemented in schools (Obringer & Coffey, 2007). Thus, the consistency of policy enforcement matters, when it comes to cell phones.
Researchers also recommend providing students with greater freedom and letting them exercise the benefits of responsible cell phone use. A recent editorial published in Educational Leadership provides principals’ opinions on the use of cell phones in public schools. They agree that cell phones should be decriminalized, and students should learn the basics of cell phone etiquette (Anonymous, 2011). School administrators can allow students to use their cell phones, if the latter are kept out of sight and out of mind (Anonymous, 2011).
Students need to have advanced knowledge of how their cell phones work and how they can benefit them during the learning process (Engel & Green, 2011). This aspect is particularly important for the teachers, who use cell phones as an instructional method. However, none of these approaches will be effective without parental involvement. Parents must be fully informed about the way their children use cell phones at school and support reasonable use of cell phones in the learning process.
Discussion
Apparently, the problem of cell phones in Massachusetts high schools is not simple. Researchers pay attention to the benefits and drawbacks of cell phone use in public schools. School leaders and administrators develop and implement complex policies. In most cases, these policies impose a total ban on cell phone use on the school territory.
This is exactly what happened in Massachusetts – the recently enforced cell phone policy generates abundant criticism on the side of students and their parents (DeForge, 2012). Students make repeated attempts to lift the ban on cell phones, but these attempts have been mostly unsuccessful.
The problem of cell phone use in Massachusetts high schools is complicated, mostly because cell phones have become too ubiquitous. Students are much more likely to have a cell phone than a home computer (Watters, 2012).
According to Regan (2010), 90 percent of high school students at Haverhill bring their phones with them and use them to send messages, take photos, make videos, and communicate with their peers. Apart from being an effective means of communication and socializing, it also has the potential to become a relevant instructional and learning tool (Stephens & Fanning, 2013; Watters, 2012).
More schools come to implement the so-called BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policies, in order to reduce the existing inequities and create a uniform classroom environment (Stephens & Fanning, 2013; Watters, 2012). In the meantime, students use their cell phones to carry out their research and learning practices online. A cell phone is no longer a call-making instrument; rather, it is a complex computer with sophisticated functions. Cell phones should not be banned in public schools, because they bring much more benefits than problems.
Certainly, the fact that cell phones can become a problem for public schools should not be ignored. “Haverhill and Methuen require that high school students keep their cell phones off and out of sight for the entire school day” (Regan, 2010). High schools at North Andover and Andover allow using cell phones only during the time of lunch (Regan, 2010).
Researchers often mention the factor of distraction: school administrators believe that cell phones disrupt the learning atmosphere in the classroom and distract students from their primary learning tasks (Earl, 2012; National School Safety and Security Service, 2012; Obringer & Coffey, 2007). However, even the best policies that ban cell phones in public schools do not eliminate these concerns.
According to DeForge (2012), most students in Massachusetts’ public schools keep using their cell phones, but they have to hide them under their desks or behind their books. Meanwhile teachers keep seizing them from students (Regan, 2010). More than 400 cell phones were seized by high school teachers in Haverhill in 2010 (Regan, 2010). This creates a more disruptive atmosphere than when the use of cell phones is legitimized.
Teachers and school principals should remember that the modern generation of students is extremely technology-savvy. They are native to many digital technologies and will never give them up (Humble-Thaden, 2011). It is much more effective to provide students with an opportunity to use their cell phones during lunchtime, while also teaching them of how their cell phones could improve their learning results.
The problem is not with cell phones but with the consistency of the cell phone policies that are being enforced in public schools. Schools must ensure that everyone, from students in grades 1-2 to teachers and administrators, complies with the policy requirements. Today, many teachers find it appropriate to use their cell phones in school, while children are not allowed to do it (Obringer & Coffey, 2007).
Another mistake made by schools is that they fail to communicate the message of their cell phone policies to students and parents (National School Safety and Security Services, 2012). Students and parents are not given any voice, when these policies are being developed and implemented (Engel & Green, 2011).
Placing a total ban on cell phones is a sign of public schools’ reluctance to apply an effort and teach their students of the benefits and principles of reasonable use. Children, parents, and school administrators should finally come together and develop a policy that will allow students using their cell phones in the school territory but within the limits that do not disrupt the learning process.
Conclusion
Cell phones generate one of the most pervasive problems in the national school system. Many high schools in Massachusetts prohibit the use of cell phones on their territory. By contrast, students argue that such policies violate their fundamental rights. Definitely, cell phones can be equally advantageous and damaging to schools and students. They have the potential to become an effective element of curriculums and instructional decisions, but the dangers of unreasonable use should not be underscored.
Still, students should be allowed to use their cell phones in Massachusetts high schools, since they bring considerable instructional benefits and teach high school students of responsible technology use. Today, teachers and school administrators need to understand that students will keep using their cell phones against all odds. Even total ban policies in Massachusetts high schools will be ineffective. Teachers should provide students with better knowledge of how their cell phones can be used reasonably and productively.
Students should be allowed to use their cell phones, while they are having a lunch. Students should have access to their cell phones, because they help teachers reduce inequities in information processing and computer use. Parents, students, and high school administrators need to come together to develop effective policies that will let students use their cell phones in public schools, while also reducing the risks of learning disruptions.
References
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Mayers, R. S. & Desiderio, M. F. (2013). Not LOL: Legal issues encountered during one high school’s response to sexting. B.Y.U. Education & Law Journal, 1, 1- 20.
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